


The Hunt

by XQueen0fHellx



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls Online
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26765158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XQueen0fHellx/pseuds/XQueen0fHellx
Summary: Created as a bit of fun for my main character in ESO, I might continue with this character more in the future.





	The Hunt

Two moons shone in the sky, as they always have been. Both full, Jone and Jode bathed the area in a pale light, casting harsh shadows. To most that would travel the road, the night left many mysteries to be found, while to some, that would be the fuel for nightmares. To the felines that travelled the path, the night was as inviting as day, their eyes like sparkling gems set in their skulls.

The trio to the outside world were just normal examples of the Khajiit society. If anyone knew their relation to each other, they might find their unit strange, as the idea of riding your brother like a pack animal perhaps might be. Without knowing much about Khajiit culture, it could be hard to imagine that their shape depended on the moon phases during birth, indeed there were plenty who thought the Khajiit were just the ones that walked on two legs, and that the others were different species all together. 

Adilah lead their small company. While it was agreed she was the best fit, a natural leader, with strength and cunning, she often poked fun at the other two for not having hands. Of the three, she was the only bipedal, a cathay. Bright ruby eyes sat in their sockets, her fur a pale red in comparison. That fur was broken up by numerous scars that crossed her body, including deep claw marks across her face, and a large gash on her throat, causing many to question why she was still alive. Her clothing, look and fit for travel, barely covered the injuries, but she wore them like badges of honor. 

Her brother, Kuta-fa, bore both his companions with ease, as he was by far the biggest, a senche-raht, lumbering on paws large enough to crush an equine’s head in two. Of the three, he was the palest, and perhaps the most odd, with a two toned mane and tail tuft, and mismatched heterochromic eyes, one ruby like his sister, one emerald. Their third companion went almost unseen as the tiny feline rode in the saddlebags, rarely poking her head out. Not that she needed to except to feel the wind on her pale fur, looking much like a miniature version of her uncle, as her pale blue eyes were clouded and blind and couldn’t see even if she did look out. La’su was an alfiq, and if she didn’t speak, she could pose as a normal cat, with small freckle like spots under her eyes. The three shared one trait marking them as family, a stripe of darker fur that stretched across their shoulders. 

Adilah sniffed the air, but the blessing of having hands was mitigated by the curse of having lowered senses than her companions. “Does it seem like we are gaining on them big brother?” She asked, leaning forward to speak softly in his ears. There was no one else on the road this time of night, so she really didn’t need to speak, but it was comforting. The larger cat grinned. “Kuta-fa has never lost prey. Rest easy sister, this one will catch up in no time.” Satisfied, Adilah sat back in the saddle, taking care not to pinch her tail. 

The road continued on ahead, crossing over a river. They approached from the north, viewing a large bridge spanning the gap. The bridge was elegant, standing out among the grassy landscape. Adilah wondered who took the time to build such beauty. Sure it accentuated the landscape, with a sweeping covered roof and a railing that waved like water, beautiful arches supporting both the bridge and roof, but it seemed like such a waste to the Khajiit. There were a few such bridges in the march, but why put so much time into something that sits in the middle of nowhere? Kuta-fa’s paws didn’t lead over the bridge though, as he halted. Placing his nose to the ground much like a bloodhound, he backed up a few steps, catching the trail again leading off the path for the first time since their hunt had begun. Looking up he growled slightly, shaking his head in irritation. “This one will not have an easy job, as he went down to the water.” His paws led down the rocky slope to the banks, splashing into the water. His jaw was slightly ajar, taking in all the scents of the air. 

Adilah scoffed as water splashed up near her paws, but it couldn’t be helped. As their path took the larger male up and down the stream to search for the trail, she patted the saddlebags. “La’su, how about a little clairvoyance please?” The band were a scary trio with their combined skills. The smaller Khajiit yawned as she poked her head out of the bags. “La’su might be able to do that for you yes.” There was a twinkle in her cloudy eyes as the feline crawled out to sit on Adilah’s lap. She muttered under her breath, the toes on her paws making sigils that seemed almost impossible for one without full fingers. 

To a normal spellcaster, the spell would direct the caster visually. To La’su, it was unsure how the spell worked with her blindness, and she never divulged that information. Her small paws reached over the saddle to thread into her uncle’s mane, directing him with small taps. Their quarry thought he would be tricky, going downstream a ways east past what appeared to be a mismatched camp of vagabonds, and then coming back out on the same side of the bank they were on, near where the river merged with another. He was backtracking and heading along the bank. The felines made sure to keep quiet past the camp. While they were not against violence, it was unnecessary and wasted time. By the time the spell wore off, the khajiit convoy was that much closer than if relying on scent alone. 

Kuta-fa paused for a moment, as the trail lead up the rocky incline. “Hold on.” He said, not giving much warning as he bunched up his hind legs, leaping to the top of the rocks. Adilah gripped her daughter in hand, holding tightly to the mane in front of her. Landing on top of the boulders, the male rolled his shoulders for a quick stretch, and continued on his way. Large baobab trees littered the landscape, swollen and fat, seemingly greedy for every drop of water. Adilah could almost imagine puncturing one with a dagger, and watching it explode in a shower of glittering droplets.

They didn’t go much further before he paused once more. “Our quarry is close, this one can smell his fear.” The family nodded, knowing what they needed to do. Adilah dismounted from her brother, scratching behind an ear in one of his favorite spots. While he was great in combat, he wasn’t a great creature for stealth oriented jobs, and would stay behind while the others went ahead. The alfiq jumped from her hands, landing neatly on a rock as if she could see. While it was clear her eyes were sightless, rumor and mystery surrounded the small female, and some swore she could see in other ways. As with how her spells worked, she never revealed her secrets. 

Adilah dug in the saddlebags, grabbing a few vials that might be needed. They contained special brew the family had concocted, a fast acting poison that they called the Claws of Death. Sure it was probably similar to some other concoction brewed by one of Tamriel’s many inhabitants, but they could pretend it was theirs. Checking her weapons, she decided she was good to go, and took off through the grass. 

La’su lead the way, slowly, but following her nose. She didn’t need to step on anything to reveal their location to their prey, so she carefully placed her paws down, gingerly as to not snap any sticks or kick rocks. Adilah followed, crouched down. While she was too tall to hide within all the grasses of Reaper’s March like her daughter, the lower profile was never a bad idea. The grasses thinned considerably though as they could see towering weeping trees that nearly looked dead save for the tiniest of leaves dotting their limbs. La’su held her tail up as a signal to stop and Adilah did not a moment too soon as the ground swept away beneath her paws. Any further and she might have fallen into a muddy chasm. The ground here looked like it was held up by the roots of those massive trees, twisting and ripping out of the landscape. 

Adilah suspected she knew why the trail ended here, and she peered over the edge, her suspicions confirmed. In the midst of the chase, their quarry had taken a nasty tumble in the mud, landing on a ledge not terribly far down. He wasn’t moving, but that didn’t mean he was dead. Hauling some rope out of her pack, the Khajiit tied it off on one of the tree roots, suspecting it might be one of the most stable supports, and scurried down to the ledge.

Their quarry was one of the Bosmer, with sweeping ears not too unlike her own. Talor was his name, not that she cared much except to get her pay. He was young for his kind, with hair that would be a lovely copper color, if not for the mud that now adorned it. The wood elves had such slitted eyes that the Khajiit wondered how they ever saw out of them. He wasn’t breathing well, obviously injured and had knocked himself out from the fall, and it was a pity that killing him would be so easy. She slit his throat and cut off an ear to add to her collection, her personal proof of her contracts fulfilled. Prepared to ascend the rope, she hesitated when she heard a hissing from above. “This one warns you not to come any closer dark elf.” Great, it was going to be one of those days.

“You do not scare me little one. Go back to your saucer of cream. I tracked someone here and I’m not leaving until I find him.” The speaker was arrogant, just the way Adilah liked them. She scrambled up the rope, plastering a pleasant smile on her face as she climbed over the ledge. “She suggests you back off from her daughter, dearie. Whoever you are looking for isn’t here.” Her voice was like honey, tempting and sweet. The feline had a way with words, charismatic they called her. The sight of the second Khajiit seemed to put the Dunmer off a bit, he hesitated before putting two and two together. His brow knitted together, making his red eyes seem even more startling on his ashen face. 

“You killed him didn’t you. You had no right.” His statement was no question,. Adilah rolled her eyes. “Dearie, this one had plenty of right. This one was paid for a service, and that service has now been rendered.” She kept her voice level, and it lost a bit of that honeyed tone. She crossed her arms and just stared at the flabberghasted fool. She could assume much about him just by his actions. He was here to kill the same man she was after, based on his race alone she could guess he was also a member of the Morag Tong. Due to his actions and the way he kept himself, from the messy mop of dark hair and almost sloppy attire, he was young and inexperienced. 

“I have a writ. One that sanctioned me to kill that man. Do you know what I have to go through now?” He was irritated, and waving his business around in her face. She was right about all her guesses now, and she just smiled. Her night was just beginning it seemed. 

“What you have to do now is run. This one will be kind. She will give you a head start.” Her smile turned to a grin as she spoke louder. “Dear brother! This one has encountered a delightful toy!” Somehow, the Dunmar’s ashen face grew even paler as the senche-raht lumbered through the grass. Clearly he wasn’t paying attention as he approached the area. Young and inexperienced indeed. 

As the elf panicked, attempting to figure his way out of the situation, Adilah calmly retrieved her rope, coiling it and setting it in Kuta-fa’s saddlebags. “This one thought she was giving you a head start, no?” As she helped La’su into her own saddlebag, the elf finally got the idea to run, and Adilah lazily went about the rest of her business, wrapping her souvenir ear up for safekeeping and mounting up into the saddle once more. A pat on the side of his neck signaled the great beast to give chase, and she cackled gleefully.

Their path continued east once more which caused Adilah to frown. She wasn’t too familiar with the territory here, but if she remembered right, a city lay in this direction, and they’d better catch their quarry before then, otherwise the game just got a little harder. Not that she minded terribly, it was just a waste of time, and they were missing out on good gold making opportunities if they chased someone for too long. This particular Khajiiti family were all about maximizing their time and resources. Waste was a weakness to them, and they were proud of their strengths. 

The Khajiit family raced on, and Adilah had no doubt they would catch up to the elf soon enough. What worried her was that a town meant people, and people could really make her life difficult. Up ahead they could see their quarry, screaming as he ran through some stone stacks too close together for Kuta-fa to squeeze through, delaying them by only seconds as he ran around. What none of them expected though was the alert responses of men arming themselves to his cries of help. In the dead of the night there were voices, and she growled softly. Rounding the stones revealed another camp, although this one was full of men that seemed a lot more organized than the bandits earlier. She swore as they were getting to their feet, and urged her brother onwards, although he didn’t need her prompting. A few long bounds closed the distance as he sped past the soldiers, his paws landing on hewn rock of an arched bridge, with the city just ahead. A snarl tore from his lips as he leaped, tackling the elf to the ground, pinning him beneath large feet as his yells were cut abruptly. 

As Adilah dismounted and regathered her rope, the armed men were approaching, some with weapons out, some standing back cautiously. She ignored them for the moment and fabricated her story in her mind, knowing her family would follow along. She made sure to be extra aware of her tail, as those who knew he would say it tended to twist more during her lies, and while these fools might not know, she’d rather not take chances at anything seeming amiss. 

“You there! Release him!” The voice came from the apparent leader of the battalion, who had yet to draw his weapon, but kept his hand on the hilt. Adilah responded only after she finished trying the Dunmer’s hands. “No.”

“You are no guard, no soldier, what are you doing with him?” The guard was wary, and rightfully so. Even though the vampirism had been cured many years ago, Adilah’s red eyes were as bright as the day she was born, and often were enough to strike fear and suspicion into others. The man she was tying opened his mouth to speak and she punched him, landing a hit square on his ear and knocking him cold.

“This man had a Writ of Execution against someone dear to this one. In Cyrodill, the Writ has no legal rights, as you should well know, and these Khajiit were tasked with bringing him back. These ones are bounty hunters. Should he somehow escape justice in those lands, this one will bring him back, to be tried for the murder of the poor wood elf he slay when I caught up to him.” She kept her tail still, hoping it wouldn’t betray her. The man didn’t seem to take her seriously, so she dug in the elf’s pockets, producing the writ he had bragged about earlier, handing it over. She was confident her scarred visage would help aid her. Many who had questioned the bounty hunter story just took one look at the extent of injuries that crossed her body, and assumed that bounty hunting easily explained it.

Scratching his head, the guard took it, while Adilah finished tying up her prey. The writ was passed between a few members as she slung the unconscious man over the saddle. “If you would like, this one could direct you where the body is.” 

“That would be most appreciated ma’am.” He kept the writ, probably as proof to provide in town, and she pointed the way she came quickly rattling off a description of where she left the Bosmer. She was thanked for her time and she jumped back up onto Kuta-fa’s back, grateful to get out of further questioning. It could have been a lot worse for the feline, and she decided it was best to get out of there before the guards changed their minds.

Going their separate ways, the Khajiit strode forward and Adilah smiled once they were out of earshot. “Time for these ones to go home. The Brotherhood awaits.”


End file.
